Women Only

At 48, I knew I needed time out for myself, my own project, not a commission. I needed to draw women again. 2018 was Year of the Women – 100 years previous, women won the right to vote…

I reached out to local women through friends, family, my art classes and social media.

Over short period of time I drew and spoke with over 40 women. I used the following questions as a start point to our discussion’s. The women were also emailed the questions and their written responses to three of the questions were included in the exhibition – randomly exhibited amongst the drawings.

I asked them:

1. Why did you agree to let me draw you?
2. What did you have to consider before you agreed?
3. What is your greatest achievement?
4. What defines you as a woman?
5. When did you feel you had become a woman?
6. How did it feel be drawn?
7. How would you like to be expressed in a painting?
8. Would you agree to sit for me again?

We discussed what it means to be a ‘woman’ and what did ‘Year of the Women’ meant them? Drawing from life offers a special and at times an intimate, emotional experience with the person I am drawing. I asked the women to present themselves for the drawing however they wanted. They dressed up, got naked, came casual, set up science experiments, played instruments, danced and practised Yoga.